A Different Kind of Christmas

It was quite a change for us this year. Our quietest Christmas to this point had been when we just had Steven and Alysia home – as opposed to when we had 5 rambunctious kids all armed with nerf guns! But this year, Alysia is in Florida with her dad, the boys are in Louisiana with Dennis’ ex and we only had Steven. It was strange for him also, having never been an ‘only child’ before!

Although it wasn’t such a quiet Christmas once he scratched off the Jingle Bucks cards he got in his stocking! Wow was he excited! He won $15 on the two in his stocking and Dennis brought him along when he ran to the store and he got 3 more tickets with his winnings. He was in the kitchen with me when he started screaming and jumping around because he had won on half the numbers totaling $50! But while he was recounting his winnings on the card he slowly realized that he had won on every single number on the card and his winnings now totaled $100!

You have to know this kid to appreciate his reaction…it was like living with Bill Murray while he was growing up. His reactions to things were always over the top and hilarious and he was the ‘old Steven’ as he ran around the house jumping and screaming "It’s a Christmas MIRACLE!!" He had me in stitches and my face hurt from laughing so hard!

It was touching also though because he lost his favorite aunt last year who was only in her late forties to a heart attack. He never could talk about it and it hit him hard. She had always been there for the kids when their own mother continually let them down. She fed them and always kept in touch with them and was always so happy to see them when they visited and she never forgot their birthdays. And when Steven calmed down he said he’d bet she had something to do with him winning because it was Christmas and she loved to play the lottery and buy scratch cards.

I’d bet he’s right:)

So this year, Dennis and I really tried to enjoy Christmas to the fullest knowing we would be missing all our kids. We did a darn good job what with the decorating, daily Christmas movies, constant Christmas music playing and finally getting a few things we had been doing without to make our lives a little more pleasant. Like our new stereo system so we could stop fighting with the old one that was temperamental at best:

Ahhh, a simple push of a button and our CDs actually play and the speakers don’t cut out. Such bliss. And of course we indulged in the Scrabble game and we love just sitting down to a quick game before supper or ending up in a marathon.

And Dennis got one of his famous ‘bees in his bonnet’ which once again made my life a little easier and pleasant. I was vacuuming the house and had only done one room when the damn thing died. *insert big defeated sigh here* It is not unusual for things like this to happen in this house. I truly believe it’s my aura and I am destined to always fight the house I’m in whether it’s getting up on the chair to smack the light on every time at the old house, to fighting the plumbing here for 5 years before we could afford to fix it. So it didn’t piss me off so much as make me think how I was going to work around this latest problem. So I went to heat up a cup of coffee and ponder upon it, when the microwave once again acted up and wouldn’t work either!!!! I just gave up and was pretty much bummed.

Dennis took one look at me and headed out the door saying he had a quick errand to run and would be right back before I could even ask where he was going. I heated up my coffee on the stove and waited for him and figured out that I had blown a fuse while sitting there. The vacuum was old and didn’t work all that well but I was relieved it was at least working as I started doing the stairs when I heard Dennis calling for me. I went down to the front door and guess what he had done?? Standing there grinning like Santa with a brand new microwave AND vacuum cleaner in his bag!! WOW!! Talk about some Christmas joy!!

Don’t mind the fingerprints – we obviously have been using it with glee! LOL!

We did end up with some gifts under the tree, but nothing like we’ve had in the past with all the kids. All the gifts this year were given out early or mailed away. But we did get a good amount for Steven. This much actually…

It made me smile when he immediately started checking the tags to see who everything was from saying that it was half the fun! I had gotten tired of writing ‘from Santa’ one year and began writing things like Frosty and all the reindeer names and even George Bailey and The Molinator from The Santa Clause. I almost didn’t do it this year but decided what the heck and I’m glad I did:)

He pretty much made out like a bandit, but it was all necessities. He got clothes – everything from socks, underwear and thermals to waterproof boots – and we made a run to Sam’s and got him bulk items like cases of Ramen Noodles, Chicken Noodle Soup, Poptarts, Popcorn and such. He LOVED it!
 

And here he is with his whole stash

The pile of food is taller but I cut it off taking the picture. He was so excited he kept saying "We EAT tonight!" LOL!. He and his roommate are doing much better at buying food and trying to save money since his roomie’s girlfriend moved out. She didn’t contribute to the expenses but wanted to eat out all the time. I say good riddance because Steven looked absolutely horrible 2 weeks ago at early Christmas, but even his mood is better now. It did a mom’s heart good to see him doing so much better. And being a good mom, I did his laundry on Christmas day too! LOL! Plus I searched through all the stuff we have stashedeverywhere to find him an extra sheet for his bed and washed up his old favorite comforter to take with him.

But he earned it this year. During the summer while the boys were here, he and Alex started wrestling and they broke the bottom part of my pedestal planter. It broke my heart as it was one of the few things I managed to drag with me from NH. It wasn’t all that expensive but it was different and I loved it. It also posed a problem because I still had the big top part of the planter which could have gone on the floor but the pets eat my plants if they can reach them so it got stuck on my kitchen table. And there it stayed for 6 months taking up a whole lot of room which I didn’t have. 

While we were Christmas shopping this year with Steven at Lowe’s for our tree, I just happened upon a plant stand that I loved for two reasons. The first is that it was very reasonably priced (by that I mean even Steven could afford it! lol) and if I turned it upside down it could hold my top heavy planter just perfectly. I showed it to Dennis and mentioned the price hoping Steven would get the hint. I was SOOOO tickled pink when he came running in with it! And he had gotten it on his own! He only has a mountain bike for transportation and Lowe’s is a couple of miles from where he lives. So when he bought it, he had to ride the whole way home with one hand and my planter tucked under his arm! What a sight that must have been! LOL! But it was worth it. This plant stand means a world more to me than the other one did and if truth be told, it’s prettier!

Yesterday was spent visiting and having Christmas dinner and watching movies we’d gotten from Santa. But then before we knew it, the time had come to pack up a whole bunch of leftovers and his own French meat pie and anything else edible I could think of, and bring him home. And it was after midnight when I turned off the outside lights and said "Goodnight Christmas" and went to bed.